Made in Sweden -

Made in Sweden was a Swedish jazz-rock/jam band that released four albums and a live recording between 1968 and 1970 on Sonet. In 1976, guitarist/keyboardist Georg Wadenius reactivated the name with Finnish bassist Pekka Pohjola and Polish keyboardist Wlodek Gulgowski for the Love Records release Where Do We Begin.

Members: Georg Wadenius (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Bosse Häggström (bass, 1968-71), Slim Borgudd (drums, 1968-71), Pekka Pohjola (bass, 1975-77), Tommy Körberg (vocals, 1975-77), Vesa Aaltonen (drums, 1975-77), Wlodek Gulgowski (keyboards, 1975-77)

Background

Made in Sweden formed in spring 1968 in Stockholm when guitarist and singer Georg “Jojje” Wadenius teamed with bassist Bo “Bosse” Häggström and drummer Tommy “Slim” Borgudd.

Wadenius was born on May 4, 1945, in Stockholm to pianist and bandleader Eva Engdahl. He first played bass with his mother and took up jazz guitar at thirteen. The guitarist studied medicine for three years and played with the Stockholm dance band Stubinerna, which travelled to Romania for a hotel engagement in summer 1966 and recorded the ten-inch album Muzică de dans [Dance Music] for Electrecord in Bucharest. In 1967, Wadenius joined the jazz-rock group Grapes of Wrath. He took a six-month leave from medical studies in 1968 to concentrate on the guitar.

Häggström played with the Swedish band Les Apaches and with Borgudd in Lea Riders Group. Borgudd acquired the nickname “Slim” as a merchant seaman when he substituted for an injured drummer at a New Orleans show by blues pianist Memphis Slim. Guitarist and singer Hawkey Franzén led Lea Riders Group, an Öland blues band that moved in 1966 to Stockholm. Wadenius briefly joined the group for the final engagement at Gyllene Cirkeln, a Stockholm jazz club. Franzén dissolved the band at the end of that engagement.

Wadenius composed the score in spring 1968 for Life Is Beautiful and Free, a Stockholm City Theatre school play by Claes von Rettig. The trio toured Stockholm schools with the production. Borgudd secured an engagement in summer 1968 at a nightclub in Sitges, Spain. The musicians played blues pieces and adapted “Eleanor Rigby” and “A Day in the Life” from records by jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. Made in Sweden returned to Stockholm for a Peter Pan collaboration with keyboardists Carl-Axel and Monica Dominique and another school tour.

Art director Yngve Sohlberg, a friend of Häggström and Borgudd, proposed the name Made in Sweden. The trio adopted the name and began a regular engagement in September–October 1968 at Gyllene Cirkeln. They toured schools by day and performed three or four nights each week at the jazz club. Sonet invited the group that fall to record a debut album with producer Rune Öfwerman.

Discography:

Made in Sweden (With Love) (1968)
Snakes in a Hole (1969)
I Regnbågslandet (1970)
Made in England (1970)
Live! At the Golden Circle (1970)
Where Do We Begin (1976)

References and notes

“Made in Sweden” — a creative musical environment — Borgudd’s official history covers the earlier bands, school play, Sitges engagement, Dominique collaboration, band name, Gyllene Cirkeln dates, and Sonet invitation (Slim Racing).
Made in Sweden interview, HEJ!, 1968 — Bengt Eriksson republishes his contemporary interview at Stockholm City Theatre, with the school-play origin and early theatre engagements (Deckarlogg).
Hawkey Franzén — en progressiv musiker med mycket kvar att ge — Claes Olsson’s interview confirms the Stockholm move and Wadenius’s participation in the final Lea Riders Group engagement (HYMN).
Jojje Wadenius tänker ta ton igen efter karantänen — Johan Ekfeldt’s interview covers three years of medical studies and the six-month leave in 1968 (Göteborgs-Posten).
Georg Wadenius — Discography — The official discography dates the Stubinerna recording to 1966 and identifies Wadenius’s guitar credit (Georg Wadenius).
Eva Maria Engdahl — Eskil Fagerström’s biography identifies Engdahl as a pianist and bandleader and confirms the family relationship and birth date (Svenskt kvinnobiografiskt lexikon).
Bosse Häggström är död — Micael Karlsson’s obituary identifies the earlier Häggström bands, including Les Apaches and Lea Riders Group (GAFFA).
Slim Borgudd obituary: the F1 driver who drummed for ABBA — Andrew Marriott recounts the merchant-navy stop in New Orleans and the Memphis Slim appearance (Motor Sport).